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The police in Lagos have commenced an investigation into a case involving one Oladele, 45, a prophet at a church in Oke Ira, in the Ogba area of the state.

The police at the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, said the prophet was being held for allegedly defrauding a businesswoman of N70m, a duplex, two five-bedroomed bungalows, a Lexus and a Toyota Highlander, 2014 model.

According to PUNCH Metro, the woman’s ordeal began sometime in 2007 after she was told by a medical doctor that her womb would have to be removed to heal her of fibroids.

She was said to have rejected the doctor’s advice and resorted to a desperate search for an alternative solution, during which she was introduced to the prophet.

The woman, who was 43 years old at the time he met Oladele, had reportedly been battling with the ailment for 14 years, which made her to bleed from her private parts.

It was gathered that the 45-year-old prophet promised to make the fibrous tissue disappear and gave her some concoctions after collecting N98,000 for the service. The bleeding was said to have stopped.

However, the victim’s excitement was short-lived when the bleeding recurred two weeks after and she returned to the prophet.

It was said that Oladele subsequently started coming up with different gimmicks to extort money from the woman, including a claim that her husband was after her life and those of her three children.

A senior police officer at the SFU said, “The woman is from a prominent family in Lagos State and she is a businesswoman. She had fibroids for 14 years and was driven from pillars to posts, looking for healing. Eventually in 2007, she met a woman who introduced her to the prophet.

“The prophet told her that her husband was the cause of the heavy blood flowed. He said the husband wanted to kill her and that as long as the blood flows, the husband would continue to make more money. He said the husband had to be eliminated for her to live well. He also told her to bring her children – two females and a male – for spiritual cleansing, saying their lives were also in danger.

“He gave the children some concoctions. He lived in the woman’s house in Ogba with her children whenever the husband was not around. By this time, he had taken control of the woman and her children. At a point, he told the woman to build a five-bedroomed duplex for him at Ijoko (Ogun State), which she did within three months. She also purchased a Toyota Highlander, 2014 model, and a Lexus GX470, 2013 model, for him.”

It was learnt that the woman’s son ran mad a few years ago after taking some herb from the prophet. It was learnt that Oladele took the boy to his town in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, where he was healed.

“He told the woman that she must build two five bed-roomed bungalows for him in Ado Ekiti so that her son madness would not return. After she built the houses, he told the woman to stop having sex with her husband if she wanted to live long.

“The woman made several transfers into his three bank accounts. We have been able to get records of the transfers to one of his banks which ran into over N70m,” the source added.

PUNCH Metro gathered that luck ran out on the prophet sometime in March when it dawned on one of the woman’s children, a lawyer, that the family was being defrauded after he allegedly collected another millions of naira from her for spiritual cleansing.

Another investigator at the SFU said, “The lawyer informed their father and the case was reported to the police. The prophet was arrested in Ado Ekiti, where he had gone to obtain a chieftaincy title.”

An official of the SFU, SP Ngozi Braide, who spoke on the incident on behalf of the unit’s Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Lamorde, said the suspect confessed to the fraud.

She said, “We have been able to trace about N70m to his bank account. In his statement, he said he healed the woman of the fibroids.”

In the prophet’s statement to the police, he said the houses and the two vehicles were gifts the woman gave him. He said he did not use charms on her and her children.

The man also told investigators that he gave some money to the woman that introduced the victim to her.

Braide said the police had launched a manhunt for the accomplice, adding that the prophet had been granted administrative bail and would be charged to court after the completion of investigation.

“We urge members of the public to be wary of people who devise various means of defrauding them of their hard-earned money. Be careful about the kind of people you seek help from,” Braide added.

BIG STORY

External Reserves Hit $40.1 Billion In July 2025 — Cardoso

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Nigeria’s foreign reserves have risen to $40.11 billion as of July 2025, according to Central Bank Governor, Yemi Cardoso.

He made this announcement during the Monetary Policy Committee briefing held on Monday, July 22, 2025.

Cardoso explained that the reserve figure of $40.11 billion amounts to about 9.5 months of import coverage, highlighting a significant improvement in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

This marks the highest reserve level since November 2024 when it reached $40.2 billion, representing a notable recovery in Nigeria’s forex buffers as authorities continue efforts to stabilize the naira and rebuild investor trust.

Key Economic Indicators

The CBN further reported ongoing stability in the forex market, citing factors such as higher capital inflows, better crude oil output, increased non-oil exports, and reduced import levels.

Gross External Reserves: $40.11 billion, providing cover for 9.5 months of imports

Capital Inflows: Rise in inflows helping stabilize the foreign exchange market

Crude Oil Production: Gains in output supporting economic stability

Non-Oil Exports: Growth in exports contributing to the economy

Imports: Decline in imports helping maintain FX stability

Inflation Outlook

Cardoso stated that internal projections indicate inflation will keep declining in the months ahead, driven by:

  • Tight Monetary Policy: Maintaining price control and curbing inflation
  • Stable Exchange Rates: Helping ease inflationary trends
  • Declining PMS Prices: Lower fuel costs aiding inflation decline
  • Harvest Season: Expected to boost food availability and reduce costs

The CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee is set to reconvene on September 22 and 23 to assess economic conditions and make additional policy decisions.

Economic Growth and Inflation Projections

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that Nigeria’s inflation will drop to 23 percent in 2025 and further decline to 18 percent in 2026.

The IMF also expects economic growth to improve from 2.9 percent in the previous year to 3.3 percent this year, supported by a rebound in oil production and progress in agriculture.

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Supporters Cheer As Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti Defies Senate, Returns To National Assembly Amid Tight Security

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Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan showed up at the National Assembly on Tuesday, where a crowd of her supporters had already gathered outside the complex.

Security presence at the National Assembly gate was significantly heightened, with stern-looking officers inspecting vehicles and limiting access for visitors, directing them to park outside.

At least five police patrol vans were observed stationed at a key point near the Assembly gate.

The increased security followed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s declaration that she intended to resume her senatorial duties despite warnings from the Senate.

The senator, who was suspended in March, said over the weekend that she had officially informed the Senate of her plans to return, basing her decision on a recent court ruling.

Speaking during a constituency training session, she stated that she had written the Senate leadership about her return.

“I will be there, because the court did make the decision on that. Now, they argue that it’s an order, it’s not an order, but it is a decision,” she insisted.

She emphasized that although her suspension hadn’t hindered her from carrying out constituency-related initiatives, it had prevented her from fully participating in legislative responsibilities such as introducing bills and sponsoring motions.

Her position was supported by her legal counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, West Idahosa, who asserted that the court’s ruling justified her return to the Senate.

“Let me be honest with you. Attendance is a legislative action.

“As far as we are concerned, we are focused on the appeal and other issues before the court.

“I think the decision to go back to the Senate will be determined by the constituents.

“Now that she said she wants to go and resume, let us see what the reaction of the Senate will be. But the most important thing is that she is still a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said in a phone interview.

When contacted on Monday, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s aide, Isah Bala, said he couldn’t confirm her immediate plans.

“It is not something I can immediately confirm now because we just returned from a programme in Okene,” he said, adding that he would provide clarity later.

By the time of reporting, Bala had yet to respond with further information.

Meanwhile, the Senate reiterated its stance that the senator remains suspended and barred from the chamber until the conclusion of the suspension period.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, restated the Senate’s position on Sunday, saying there was no court order mandating her reinstatement.

In a separate development, activist Aisha Yesufu pledged to accompany Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Senate on Tuesday as a show of support.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Yesufu criticized the Senate’s position and cautioned against ignoring judicial decisions.

She also labeled Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as unconstitutional and accused the Senate of overstepping its bounds.

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RE-Mining Cadastre Office, A Threat To National Security — By Engr. Tafa Bakori

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I came across a hogwash of an opinion article penned by a suspected fictitious character named Biliyaminur Surajo titled, “Mining Cadastre Office, A Threat to National Security” published on Sahara Reporters and other online media which by all intents and purposes was crafted to not only diminish the great job the Mining Cadastral office (MCO) is doing but also to cast aspersion on the foremost cadastral agency and bring it to disrepute. As a mining stakeholder for over 15 years, I am an insider conversant with the inner workings of MCO and I’ve been following with keen interest ongoing reforms by the present administration to reform and reposition the mining sector. It therefore beggars’ belief that any sane individual can seek to denigrate such efforts with patently outlandish claims as encapsulated in the jaundiced article.

The writer claims that the MCO “has become synonymous with corruption, bribery, and unprofessionalism” without any shred of evidence but rather put together a contraption of conjectures and false narratives to justify his warped conclusion. Reading through the piece, I saw a desperate attempt by the writer to allude to outrightly preposterous postulations by “faceless industry stakeholders”, more like an attempt to “give a dog a bad name, in order to hang it”.

He cited a crisis of overlapping titles, alleging that “for a fee, fake community consent documents can be obtained through MCO channels”. This is not only far from the truth, but a blatant lie. With my vast knowledge of the mining sector, I can assert that the allegations are totally baseless and unfounded because MCO does not get involved in obtaining land owner/occupier consent which is the responsibility of the applicant after the successful submission of application, and the receipt of their priority number.

If Mr. Surajo knows those purportedly claiming to be MCO agents or officers carrying out such nefarious activities, he should bring them forward or submit details of such unscrupulous individuals to the security agencies for necessary action. The onus of proof falls on those who alleges. One would have expected some “naming and shaming” at the least, but carrying out a hatchet job hinged on falsehoods can be such an arduous task.

Claiming that public complaints on overlapping titles fell on “deaf ears” is also disingenuous to anyone conversant with happenings in the sector. While it a known fact that during the process of migrating the cadastral system from computerized to the online Electronic Mining Cadastre plus (eMC+), some of the valid titles couldn’t be moved due to some systemic issues, several efforts have been made to correct the anomaly. I am aware that the rectification took some time which might be responsible for instances of overlapping titles that were hitherto seen on the eMC+ platform. During that period of glitch, it was reported that applicants saw free mining areas on the platform which already has valid owners before the migration and these caused the few incidences of overlapping titles.

From my investigations, it was gathered that a standing committee has since been at work resolving the issues amicably and it is pertinent that those that are facing similar challenges reach out to the agency. I have it on good authority that the cases that have been brought to the attention of the agency have been resolved till date. It is also pertinent to note that the MCO has never lost a single case in court which implies that the agency is guided at all times by extant provisions of the law and the statutes guiding the operations of the agency.

The fictitious writer also erroneously alleged that “beyond official fees, industry sources report a pervasive culture of additional payments to individual MCO officers”. From my experience over the years, this is likely a case of itinerant fake consultants posturing as MCO staff. An instance revealed by the grapevine is a case of a suspect presently cooling his heels in the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Garki, Abuja for impersonating the Special Technical Assistant (STA) to the DG, Madaki Joseph. The suspect, one Shehu Bokane, operating from his base in Niger State has allegedly duped his victims of several millions of Naira, and this is verifiable. This is just one instance and there could be many more at large. What anyone privy to such malfeasance should do is to report the culprits to the authorities instead of tarring an entire agency with the brush of corruption based on false premise or spurious allegations.

Not done trying to justify his fables, the writer described that Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification Project (MINDIVER), funded by the World Bank designed to prevent duplication of titles as a failure. While the eMC+ system faced initial hitches, the system has largely digitized the application processes as all mineral title applications are now submitted exclusively through the system. Like the DG MCO, Engr. Obadiah Nkom said at some fora, “It’s an entirely online platform that offers transparency, efficiency, and real-time access.” Feedback from industry stakeholders back this assertion.

From an informed perspective, the initial glitches that affected the migration of the cadastral system to the eMC+ platform might have been averted if the MCO technical staff had some input in the building of the electronic system. That was not the case as I learnt the agency only made inputs and modifications after the system funded by MINDIVER, was delivered.

I was privileged to attend the recently held African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) in Abuja, graced by some African ministers of mining and energy amongst other global and continental mining players. The robust engagements I saw, the Ministerial roundtable convened by the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) and chaired by the Solid Minerals Development Minister, Dr. Dele Alake is a sharp contrast to the picture of purported “wasted foreign trips to mining conferences” painted by the writer. It was also recently widely reported that some Nigerian mining professionals went on a capacity building training to Murdoch University in Australia. If that doesn’t represent fruits of Nigeria’s proactive engagement with the global mining community, I wonder what it is.

While there might be need for improvement in some areas like any other human endeavor, it smacks of utter mischief for the writer to paint a gloomy picture of the operations of MCO and by extension the mining sector. For the first time, in our nation’s recent history, the mining sector is experiencing a resurgence on account of the renewed focus of the Tinubu administration in developing solid minerals alongside the tenacious passion of Minister Alake in carrying on with reforms.

It is quite ludicrous that the writer will attempt to describe an agency that is renowned across the African continent as leading a very efficient cadastral system as a threat to national security. Unlike the bogus conclusion of the imaginary stakeholder, “the future of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector—and potentially the nation’s economic diversification” is bright and on course. No hatchet job or sponsored machinations of those frustrated by laudable efforts to reposition the mining sector must be allowed to stand or mislead the public. All Nigerians and responsible stakeholders should join hands with government to take our mining industry to greater heights.

 

Engr. Tafa Bakori, a mining stakeholder, writes from Niger State.

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